PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is unfazed about the prospect of not becoming the next prime minister.

“I am 71-years-old, and I have been to hell and back and hell and back again (twice imprisoned), so I am not overly concerned about the future.

“I know people think politicians don't mean that, but I do. 'Que será, será', says 'been to hell' twice Anwar on becoming PM (What will be, will be),” he told the Indian newspaper The Hindu in an interview.

Quizzed on the date for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to hand over the reins to him, Anwar said the two of them have agreed that it would not be more than two years.

“But I said it is important that we shouldn’t announce the date. We want Mahathir to effectively run the country with full support, not as a lameduck. We need to be united and focus on the serious economic problems,” he added.

Anwar also conceded that deciding to work with Mahathir, who was once his arch nemesis, prior to the general election was difficult and painful.

“I am not a hypocrite, and I will say that it was a difficult decision and equally painful to my wife (Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) and children who had suffered so much.

“I told them we have to look forward for the country’s sake. Azizah was committed, went ahead in the campaign. The problems faced by the country were more acute than the problems I faced.

“Being in jail, solitary confinement, the assault by the police chief, the humiliation of sexual and treason allegations were all very hard, but eventually we won. Despite all the money, judiciary, etc, stacked against us, one cannot stop the will of the masses,” he added.

Anwar also said that he does not regret working with Mahathir but admitted that there were certain concerns.

“No (regrets), because we did succeed in toppling the corrupt regime and we now are dealing with the huge financial problems left behind. Also Mahathir has announced a major programme of agenda.

“Of course, there are concerns amongst our younger supporters, including my daughter (Nurul Izzah) who has now left party positions out of growing disenchantment, and we have to concede that people expect more from our government.

“The abdication of the king, although it is a separate issue, also came at a time which made it seem as if the government was in trouble. But to the credit of Mahathir, he has given a clear direction to the government,” he added.